Join us for the third edition of Artists for Haiti, a collaboration with Social Justice Days organized by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) at McGill University. A special concert featuring celebrated Rap Kreyòl artist and activist Doc Filah direct from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

* Doc Filah

Doc Filah, born in 1976 as Pierre Harry Dumorney, is a celebrated voice in Haitian hip-hop, a politically sharp solo artist and member of the popular Rap Kreyòl ensemble Majik Click. Filah is a doctor specializing in veterinary medicine, a graduate from the University of Havana, Cuba.

A past UN consultant with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Filah has spoken out on the UN’s role in a cholera epidemic that has killed thousands of people in Haiti. He has also criticized the international aid complex in Haiti for its lack of accountability to the Haitian people.

As a hip-hop artist Filah launched the celebrated track REVELASYON in 2004 in collaboration with the NGO Yele Ayiti. Filah has also collaborated with Haitian hip-hop artists Barikad Crew, Fantom, Lòlò, BIC and remains a key member of Majik Click.

* Paul Cargnello & Karma Atchykah duo

When Karma Atchykah and Paul Cargnello take to the stage two worlds collide: Punk-Rock & Hip-Hop. Keep your ears, hearts, and minds open because they will be pointing the next wave of revolutionary rock straight at you.

Whether the music he creates is soaked in reggae-roots or dipped in a Louisiana slow-cooker, singer-songwriter Paul Cargello delivers a sound that surprises and appeals with each offering. He has grown to become one of Montréal’s favorite prolific troubadors. Known for his honest lyricism, his newest release Bras Coupé serves up another measure of conviction & political activism. http://www.paulcargnello.com/

Karma Atchykah is one hard-working emcee, a conscious artist flipping boom bap colloquialisms in French and English, and a serious aficionado of soul music. You hear the influences of his Haitian neighbourhood on equal par with the neck-snap genius of Dilla. With numerous projects already released – The Jack Movement, The Notice and The Honest Truth EPs with producer / emcee Lotus, Karma Atchykah Presents The Burbs LP – he’s only getting warmed up. In March 2010 Atchykah released Diasporama, including the hit ‘Ghost Of You’ a collaboration with James Di Salvio (Bran Van 3000), garnering attention across Montreal and Quebec. http://www.karmaatchykah.com/

* DJ Kobal

Montrealer Jerome Decis, aka DJ Kobal, is informed (read: obsessed) music lover. Kobal is the owner of the Afro Kats record label and is interested in all genres, but has a soft spot for funk. Throughout the years Kobal has held weekly residencies at numerous Montreal establishments such as Blizzarts, Billy Kun and Academy (to name a few). He also held down the popular ‘Afrofunk’ monthly parties with DJ Andy Williams. In the summer of
2009, DJ Kobal was given the task of warming up the stage for Stevie Wonder at the opening show of the 30th Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. Expect a special set filled with rare and classic kompa for this
event. http://www.mixcloud.com/kobal/

Organized by the Solid’Ayiti collective in collaboration with the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) at McGill University.

SolidAyiti presents a panel exploring current struggles in Haiti for access to public health and education today, as part of Social Justice Days organized by QPIRG McGill.

presentations by:

* Dr. Francisco Delacruz, senator in Haitian parliament

Francisco Delacruz is from Lospalis, Haiti located in the Central Plateau and is the founder of COSADH an NGO focused on coordinating PUBLIC health and development services in the central plateau. Francisco is a doctor and graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and also studied public health system management in France. Today Senator Francisco representing the citizens of the Central Plateau.

* Doc Filah

Doc Filah, born in 1976 as Pierre Harry Dumorney, is a celebrated voice in Haitian hip-hop, a politically sharp solo artist and member of the popular Rap Kreyòl ensemble Majik Click. Filah is a doctor specializing in veterinary medicine, a graduate from the University of Havana, Cuba.

A past UN consultant with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Filah has spoken out on the UN’s role in a cholera epidemic that has killed thousands of people in Haiti. He has also criticized the international aid complex in Haiti for its lack of accountability to the Haitian people.

As a hip-hop artist Filah launched the celebrated track REVELASYON in 2004 in collaboration with the NGO Yele Ayiti. Filah has also collaborated with Haitian hip-hop artists Barikad Crew, Fantom, Lòlò, BIC and remains a key member of Majik Click.

* Isabel Macdonald

Isabel Macdonald will present on the topic “New Haiti, Same Corporate Interests?” two years after Canada and other powerful governments announced announced bold plans to build a “New Haiti” after the January 12, 2010 earthquake, journalist Isabel Macdonald looks at who’s benefiting from Haiti’s rebuilding. Her talk focuses on the problems that have plagued these reconstruction efforts–from delays in funding, to the exclusion of Haitians from decision-making, to the over-reliance on imported goods, to the awarding of no-bid contracts to foreign companies.

Isabel Macdonald is a Montreal-based journalist and media scholar who writes for The Nation, The Montreal Gazette, The Toronto Star and The Guardian, amongst other publications. A contributor to the Canadian Center for Investigative Reporting, her investigative reporting work has been featured on BBC World Service, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Radio-Canada’s Telejournal and CNN, and she has often appeared as a guest on Democracy Now! The former communications director of the NYC-based media watch group FAIR, she is currently completing a PhD in Communication at Concordia University analysing the prospects of new forms of digital storytelling–including “comics journalism”–to address the democratic deficit in Canadian reporting on Haiti.

Organized by Solid’Ayiti collective as part of Social Justice Days, co-organized by the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) at McGill University.

Tune-in for a Montreal radio broadcast launch of the recently released “Democracy in Haiti” mixtape live on CKUT community radio.

Featuring interviews with Haitian hip-hop artists Vox Sambou & Diegal Leger (Rawgged MC) and also filmmakers Magee McIlvaine & Lena Jackson currently finalizing a documentary film “Democracy in Haiti” on grassroots Haitian struggles. Interviews will focus both on the recently released mixtape, via Nomadic Wax in New York City, but also on the process of creating the “Democracy in Haiti” documentary film.

For the Montreal broadcast launch for “Democracy in Haiti” CKUT radio, we will feature tracks from the compilation but also other Haitian musical sounds, hip-hop and beyond, projecting the diverse sounds of progressive Haitian musical culture. This Montreal broadcast launch of “Democracy in Haiti” will air as a special edition of “World Skip the Beat” on Monday, May 2nd in Montreal in collaboration with Nomadic Wax and the Montreal-based collective Solid’Ayiti.

Also joining the program is author and activist Yves Engler speaking Canadian interference in Haiti dating back to the 2004 coup d’état against popular Haitian political leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide and recent reports on Canadian interference in post-earthquake Haiti.

Serving as the sister project to the upcoming Nomadic Wax documentary film, “Democracy in Haiti,” the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape highlights the political, cultural and social issues facing Haitian youth after the earthquake that struck the country in January 2010. The third film in the “Democracy In …” series, “Democracy in Haiti” presents to audiences Haitian youth who have been active in the rebuilding of their country. In Haiti the youth make up the largest percentage of the population, yet, their voice is often ignored in discussions of political importance.

Serving as an outlet for Haitian youth to bring forth their voice, “Democracy in Haiti” spotlights several young artists who have taken active roles in the reformation of Haiti’s cultural and political stature. Lena Jackson, the Nomadic Wax Director of Photography for the “Democracy in Haiti” film, recently returned to the country to document the events of the second round presidential elections and further capture the voice of Haitian youth on film. “Democracy in Haiti” helps audiences understand the important role Haitian youth must play in the foundation of Haiti’s political and social future. Featuring talent from Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora around the world, the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape brings together a diverse group of hip-hop artists contributing verses that emphasize the socio-political issues currently facing Haitian society. As the audio backdrop to the “Democracy in Haiti” film, the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape encourages Haitian youth to stand up and take part in the successful rebuilding of their nation’s society.

The Democracy in Haiti Mixtape is mixed by DJ Nio of Zero Plastica and produced by Magee McIlvaine of Nomadic Wax, Vox Sambou and DJ Nio. Mastered and engineered by Dan Cantor of Notable Productions.

visit http://www.democracyinhaiti.com/ to learn more about the “Democracy in Haiti” film.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Solid’Ayiti panel discussion on Dec.. Huge thanks to Mr. Jean St-Vil and his utterly incredible presentation on Haitian history & education, Nantali Ondongo and Vox Sambou for their observations and analysis on hip hop and education in Haiti. Thank you Diegal Leger for moderating.

Special thanks to Jose Garcia and Citizenshift for the live webcast and archive of the videocast below.

As Haiti approaches the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince last winter, Solid’Ayiti invites you to a panel discussion at Concordia University in Montreal that will focus on the struggle to build and support accessible public education in Haiti.

Solid’Ayiti is an initiative of artists and activists in Montreal working to build long-term solidarity between people in Montreal and movements for social justice in Haiti. The ‘Artists for Haiti’ concert series, an initiative of Solid’Ayiti, launched in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti on Jan 12th that left tens-of-thousands dead, major elements of the public infrastructure destroyed and a country already the poorest in the western hemisphere severely wounded. Solid’Ayiti will work to promote self-sufficiency, independence, social justice and peace in Haiti for the long-term.

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About Solid'Ayiti

Solid’Ayiti is an initiative of artists and activists in Montreal working to build longterm solidarity between people in Montreal and movements for social justice in Haiti. Solid’Ayiti will work to promote self-sufficiency, independence, social justice and peace in Haiti. Solid’Ayiti is registered as a not-for profit with the Quebec Government. Get in touch with us […]more →